Travel News: July 4, 2018

Just in time for the July 4th holiday, a time which many experts predict will be the busiest travel period in history, the United States Department of State has updated its Worldwide Caution announcement.

“As terrorist attacks, political violence (including demonstrations), criminal activities, and other security incidents often take place without any warning, U.S. citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance and practice good situational awareness when traveling abroad,” read the updated statement, which replaces the previous alert issued on January 11.

The large dining room is decorated with drink glasses featuring male and female strippers. And the amenities are all classic W, with clever little sayings like “bare all” on the shaving kit, “fresh mouth” for the toothbrush envelope, “quick fix” on the sewing kit and a “Two faced bright ‘n tight masque, for when you literally can’t even.”

Such features have long defined the fun-loving W brand, which launched the lifestyle hotel trend that sent competitors of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, including Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton and InterContinental, scrambling to create their own hip, unique hotels. The goal was to attract travelers looking for something beyond the cookie-cutter styles that had previously defined luxury and branded properties in general.

Today, STR counts 67 brands under its classification of boutique or lifestyle properties. The company didn’t even have such a category when the first W opened on Lexington Avenue in New York in 1998.

But as the brand celebrates its 20th birthday, consumer expectations have evolved, and the 17-year-old Times Square property as well as some of the other early North American Ws may soon go the way of the original, which earlier this year was converted into a Maxwell.

Forget Yellowstone. Right now, you can buy a ticket to travel from New York to Paris in August — on a major American airline — for under $500.

Low prices on routes across the Atlantic are coming as budget carriers, Norwegian Air and Wow Air of Iceland in particular, increase routes in hopes of capturing summer travelers. Whether these low fares will last, especially if oil prices continue to climb, is uncertain.

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By: Matt Long

Matt has a true passion for travel. As someone who has a bad case of the travel bug, Matt travels the world in order to share tips on where to go, what to see and how to experience the best the world has to offer.
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